Father Knows Best
by caughtforCarlisle
Summary: Carlisle and Esme leave their coven in the hands of close friends Eleazar and Carmen while they are vacationing for two months. The gang should be excited that their parents will be MIA for a while, but they are more than happy to see them when they return. Carlisle/Jasper bonding...Inside look at how the Cullens lived "between the lines." This is a family fic.
1. Chapter 1 While Dad's Away

Okay so here is a little story I did while working on my updates for BTR and EC. I've had it for a while but decided to go ahead and finish today. I find that sometimes if I can get my mind off of a story and have a workflow for another story, I can get rid of writer's block. So here we go…Jasper and his Dad. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer. Characters and their quirks somewhat belong to Stephenie Meyers in this story. The plot is mine. Oh and the errors are mine too. This story hasn't been washed by my beta…so hopefully you won't find too many grammar bloops.

Jasper's POV

"Jasper, please take your seat." Eleazar asked politely. He was quite perturbed by my outburst.

"No! I'm callin' my Dad and askin' him if I can catch a flight back home." I reached for my cell phone but Eleazar was at my side instantly. He grabbed my phone from me and slipped it in his pocket. "Hey!"

"Jasper, you are a grown man and you have the right to leave if you desire. I won't stop you, but your parents asked us to watch over their coven while they are on vacation. I was a little hesitant seeing that they were going to be gone for two months, but I thought it would be a good opportunity to bond with you kids since Carlisle and I have always been close friends. I would appreciate it very much if you have a seat so we can discuss this like adults."

"No! I want my phone so I can call my Dad." I reached for it but he swerved out of my way.

"Jasper! Enough of this foolishness! Please take your seat!" He pointed towards my chair.

"It's not fair that I can't go out with the others tonight."

Eleazar approached me and gently placed his hands on each of my shoulders. "Jasper, I promised Carlisle that I would look after you in his absence. He trusts me to take care of you. After what almost happened at the mall today-"

"Almost-" I interrupted.

"Nevertheless, I just simply cannot allow you to go to that club." He walked over to the coffee table and retrieved the remote control. He found his station and came back to stand in front of me. "I think you need to hunt, son."

"Don't…don't call me that. I'm not your son and I don't need ta hunt. I'm good. I wasn't goin' ta lose control in front of all those people. If my Dad were here, he would trust me and let me go. It's not fair that everybody else gets ta go and I have ta stay shut up in this house like I'm some kinda freakin' criminal or somethin.'"

Eleazar inhaled deeply and strengthened his resolve. I already knew that he was not going to allow me to go hang out with the rest of the gang. "The answer is no and that's final. Now if you don't want to go hunt, you can either watch television with me or go to your quarters, but either way you are not going to that club."

He sat down and started watching television and I crossed my arms defiantly over my chest. I was so mad I could have spit fire on him. The others were upstairs getting ready- including my Alice. She'd offered to stay and entertain me, but there was no way I was going to keep her from going. She had been talking about going to check out _Lunar_ since we landed. I convinced her to go and was seriously hoping Eleazar would allow me to go with them after my almost slip-up at the mall this morning.

I thought he was _really_ overreacting. If it were my Dad, he would have understood _exactly_ what happened and wouldn't have overreacted like Eleazar did. It was really nothing, but now a big deal was being made, and I was getting the losing end of the deal.

It all started when some stupid girl decided she wanted to run down the escalator and managed to fall. Of course she cut herself on the fall and the smell of her blood almost sent me to the black abyss of vampire insanity. If I were being truthful, it took everything I had not to attack her. Eleazar was standing next to me and he heard me hissing and when he saw what was happening he quickly intervened. I reassured him that I was in control, which I was. He later thought I was going to attack and ordered us to leave at once.

"This is so unfair. I wasn't gonna do anything ta that girl." I grumbled and sat down in the recliner. "Please, Eleazar. I'm not gonna lose control and the others are gonna be there. They won't let anything happen like that. Please can I go?" I sounded like a little school boy, but I really wanted to go hang out with the guys at _Lunar_.

"Jasper, I have spoken my word. We're done discussing this." He didn't take his eyes off of the television. I sat back with a loud huff and crossed my arms and legs. I was becoming increasingly more irritated with him by the second.

"Dad wouldn't act like this. He would know it was nothin' and move on." I challenged.

Eleazar ignored me. The others filed downstairs and gave me sympathetic looks, especially my Alice. I sent a wave of relaxation over everyone so that they could leave and not feel guilty because I couldn't go. There was no use in punishing them for my mistake.

They told Eleazar where they were going and gave him their numbers. He gave them his final sermon on safety and responsibility, and they were gone. Poor little Alice looked miserable. She wanted to stay with me. I keep my head down as much as possible so I couldn't make eye contact with her. I didn't need her trying to change her mind about staying.

Eleazar allowed them to borrow his car, and when I heard them leave, the lid blew off of my anger. "This is such bullshit. I can't wait ta go home."

Eleazar didn't say one word but kept watching television. I sat there for about twenty more minutes and fought to keep angry tears from spilling over my eyes. A while later, I heard Carmen drive up. She had been working a little late at the boutique and judging from the influx of excitement I felt when she came in; I knew that she was in a good mood. However, I fought it because I was not in the mood for happiness…unless it could be found at _Lunar_, the hottest spot in this crappy little town.

"Hi, honey." She bent to kiss her husband. _Yuck_. "Hi Jasper? How are you?"

I kept my eyes glued to my lap and barely mumbled, "Fine."

I could feel her emotions shift to concern. "Is there something wrong, sweetheart?" She came over to where I was sitting and touched my cheek. "Are you well, dear?"

I jerked my face away from her hand and gave her an evil glare. "Yes." I hissed.

"Jasper!" She scolded gently. "What's wrong with you? Why are you behaving so, dear?"

"Nothing. Just forget it!" I jumped up to leave and startled her. She was visibly shocked. I proceeded to go around her to the guest room Alice and I shared.

"Jasper Cullen you will calm yourself instantly. Please don't make me have to call Carlisle, because I'm sure he will be very displeased with your rude, juvenile behavior. You will not speak to Carmen in that manner nor will you speak to me that way. Do you understand?" Eleazar was standing in front of me now and my eyes were becoming increasingly cloudier as venom-tears threatened to spill over. "Do you understand me, Jasper?"

I looked from him to Carmen and back to him. The thought of him calling my Dad should have been enough to snap me back in line. I knew Dad would not appreciate what was happening here and if he knew about this, I would be in a world of trouble with him. I remained quiet and refused to answer him.

"Jasper, you owe Carmen an apology, son."

"I don't owe her nothin.' And I'm not your damn son so stop callin' me that!"

"That's it." He spun me around and landed several hard swats to my jean clad backside.

_What the hell? He has no right to put his hands on me. _

"Ow!" I yelped and grabbed my burning backside as the sensation crept over it. Those swats lit a small blaze back there. A few of the stored tears finally spill over as the burn swelled behind me. "You have no rite ta hit me." I said tearfully. Eleazar stood with his arms folded, shaking his head at me.

"Jasper you need to calm yourself." He said. His voice was calm but I could tell he was angry.

"I want ta call my Dad. Please."

Eleazar sighed and retrieved his phone from his other pocket. He still had possession of mine so I couldn't call him myself. He dialed Dad's number and he picked up about the second or third ring. Thanks to the elevated volume and my supersonic vampire hearing, I could hear the entire conversation.

"Eleazar, my friend, how are you?" I immediately felt bad. He sounded so happy and cheerful as I listened to some upbeat music in the background and the sounds of him laughing with my mother. She was giggling in the background and I knew Eleazar was about to interrupt their fun with my foolishness. I was instantly ashamed of my childish behavior. The fact that Eleazar had to spank me was embarrassing and I knew my Dad was going to be seriously upset that I had resorted to acting like this and embarrassing him in front of his friends. Maybe calling him wasn't such a good idea after all. I tried to reach for the phone so I could hang it up before Eleazar had a chance to tell him what happened, but he shot me an icy glare and moved away from me with his free hand in his trouser pocket. By this time Carmen had taken her seat on the couch and was listening to the conversation as well.

"Hello Carlisle. How is your trip?" He asked calmly.

"It's great. We're having a grand time. How are the kids? Have they driven you insane yet?" I heard him chuckle. "You know they have a way of doing that sometimes." He laughed.

"Well, Carlisle, that's why I'm calling actually." He said softly and I instinctively backed away from him as if I were already trying to protect myself from my father's wrath.

Dad must have detected the seriousness in his voice. "Oh." He sounded worried. "Is something wrong with one of my children, Eleazar?" I could hear Mom in the background worriedly asking questions as well.

"Well I'm calling because I'm having a little bit of trouble with Jasper." He said.

"Jasper?" My parents questioned at the same time. Their surprise was no surprise. I never got in trouble. "What in the world?"

"I haven't done anything!" I shouted. "I just wanted ta go ta a stupid, freakin' party!" I tried to snatch the phone again before Eleazar could tell my Dad anything else, but I accidently grabbed his arm instead…a little _too_ hard. Although I instantly let go and apologized, he let the phone dangle at his side in hand and immediately got in my face.

"Jasper, don't do that again." He warned. "That is totally uncalled for."

"I'm sorry." I apologized again. "It was an accident."

I could hear my father asking what was going on and Eleazar put the phone back to his ear. My "special" gift amplified his anger and he seemed like he would explode. He kept his eyes on me as he extended his arm out between us so that I couldn't approach him again. Carmen just sat wide-eyed on the couch.

"Eleazar, what's going on?" My father inquired nervously, probably wondering why his dear friend was taking this tone with me. "What's Jasper doing?"

Eleazar managed to compose himself and I sat back down realizing that this had gotten larger than it should have been. "Carlisle, I called because I would really appreciate it if you would speak with Jasper. Today Carmen and I went to the mall with the kids and there was an incident. Jasper-"

"There was no incident, Dad!" I shouted, trying to defend myself. "Nothin' happened. These people are makin' a stupid ass big deal outta nothin!" Tears were flowing a little more freely down my face. "I didn't do anything!"

Eleazar shook his head at my display and continued talking to my very concerned father. "As I was saying…for some reason Jasper has refused to go hunting and he almost lost control today!"

"I haven't refused ta go huntin'! Dad that's a lie!" I shouted again, this time standing to my feet. I tried to inch closer but stopped in my tracks when Eleazar looked like he was ready to spatter me with poison. "I didn't lose control!"

"Hmmm, I see." I heard my father say. "What happened, Eleazar?"

Eleazar sighed. I was crying a little harder now. Normally things didn't get to me so badly, but the combination of his anger and my frustration and the fact that I really wanted to be elsewhere was starting to wear on me. Not to mention the disappointment I heard in my father's voice.

"A woman accidentally fell and cut herself on an escalator and Jasper almost created a scene. I noticed that he was becoming…um…restless…putting it mildly. After insuring me that he was alright with being there, I reluctantly trusted him and agreed to give him a chance. We stayed at the mall and shortly after I noticed Jasper circling the area-"

"I wasn't going ta do anything, Dad!" Eleazar was _really_ getting on my nerves.

I heard my father asking him if anything happened. "No, I went ahead and took everyone home. I suggested that Jasper go hunting when we got back, but he insisted he was fine."

"Mmm. Hmmm. I see." My father replied. "How was he when you arrived back home?"

"He seemed very agitated to me." Eleazar explained. " He's upset because I wouldn't allow him to go out tonight, but I didn't want him to go to a crowded club especially since he needs to hunt."

"I'M NOT AGITATED!" I yelled. "I wanna talk ta my Dad." I reached for the phone again.

"See what I mean? He's been like this all afternoon. I asked him to stay home tonight so we could hunt, which I thought would help him calm down. He has become quite belligerent. I've even had to spank him. I think his feelings were hurt more than his behind, but nevertheless I had to give him a few swats."

"Oh." He didn't sound very enthused about that bit of information. "Are the other kids home?" My father asked.

"No. They left. They wanted to stay, but Jasper insisted that they go without him. Then he threw a fit when I asked him to take some down time. Even if he'd gone hunting today, I don't think it would have been wise for him to go in his...um...condition."

"How many times do I have ta say that I'm cool? I'm not gonna do anything!" I protested, wiping my eyes.

"Jasper you are not alright, dear. Your eyes are black." Carmen interjected. "You should consider what he's saying and go for a-"

"Ugh. I can't stannit. Just…just don't talk ta me. I don't wanna hear it! I'm sick of this!" She gasped and put her hand over mouth.

"See what I mean Carlisle? He's become very disrespectful and has even talked about flying back to Forks."

I clutched the sides of my head in desperation and walked in circles.

"I'm very sorry, Eleazar. Please put Jasper on the phone." My father apologized for my behavior and was just as polite and calm as always. I took the phone that he offered me out of his hand. The minute my Dad spoke one word, I fell to pieces. I started crying harder and venom began to make a greater show on my face.

"Jasper?" His voice was so calming and sweet. He was my Dad. I just needed to hear his voice. "Son, what's wrong?"

"Dad, I didn't do nothin'." I cried. "I wasn't gonna do nothin' ta that girl. I promise." I sniffled harder. "That's the truth."

I heard him sigh. "I believe you Jazz. Tell me what happened."

"I was at the mall and that girl fell and got hurt. I saw her bleedin' and I felt thirsty, but I was in control. I was pullin' myself togetha and then Eleazar started raggin' me."

He cleared his throat. "After you told him you were alright, what happened next?"

"Eleazar asked me if I was good, and I said yeah, 'cause I was." I wiped my eyes. "I was good Dad."

"Did you leave Eleazar and go out into the shopping area?" He asked. I swear I loved my Daddy. He was the kindest, most gentle man I'd ever known, and right now his voice was soothing. I tried to use my abilities to amplify the feeling it gave me. I couldn't use his emotions because he was so far away, but I could up my own.

"Yes, sir." I replied.

"And what happened?" He asked. I heard my Mom in the background saying_, "my poor baby."_

"The girl was bleedin' and I saw that she was hurtin' real bad."

"Did you want to hurt that girl, Jazz?" He asked.

I didn't answer him but just cried into the phone. He gave me a few minutes before he spoke again. "Jazzy?"

"I'm scared, Dad." I confessed. I really didn't want to get into trouble. Surely my Dad had had enough of my almost slip-ups. He would banish me forever.

"I know, son, but you don't have to be. Please tell me the truth." He coaxed. "You won't be in trouble for that."

I sniffled again and saw Eleazar come back into the room. He'd gone outside for fresh air and decided to return. Carmen returned with him.

"Yes, sir. I did but I wasn't gonna do anything ta her." Eleazar sighed and shook his head in disbelief. He thought I was lying. "Dad I really need for you ta believe me. All that matters is that you believe me." I couldn't have cared less what these people thought, but if my Dad didn't trust me, I had nothing. Eleazar rolled his eyes. "Please, Dad."

Dad sighed again. "I do believe you Jazz. I know you can control your thirst and have been in worse situations than that. What kept you from attacking her Jazz?"

I held the phone and made circles in the carpet with my two-hundred dollar sneakers. I sniffled. "Because…'cause…I didn't wanna cause trouble and I didn't want you ta be upset if I messed up agin."

My loving father inhaled deeply and I could tell by the sound of it, he was pinching the bridge of his nose or rubbing his forehead.

"Oh, Jazzy. You know I would never be upset with you for that. I love you son. I would never punish for something that is instinctual. It's your nature and I've never whipped you for that. Haven't I always tried to be supportive of your natural shortcomings?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then why, son, would you think I would whip you for that?"

"I don't know. I was scared that you would be disappointed."

He sighed again. "Yes I would have been disappointed." He admitted honestly. "Yes, but I wouldn't have stopped loving you because of it or even punished you for it. Don't ever think that. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir." Carlisle never commanded this type of respect, but he was so compassionate and loving that I couldn't help but to address him with yes and no sir. He was that kind of man. Just his strong, calm, and gentle nature commanded every ounce of reverence in me.

"You know I love you, son, and that means loving you regardless." God help me but that just broke my little Texan heart. I cried even more and tried to control it by balling up my lips and sniffling.

"Yes, s-sir." I sniffled. He was used to us crying about this and that but I could tell by the shakiness in his voice that he was moved by his words. He meant what he said.

"Jasper, why won't you hunt, son?" He asked. "What have I told you about making sure you hunt when you feel like this?"

"I was gonna hunt with everyone else later. I was okay and I didn't think I needed ta go rite away. Eleazar started in on me, but I wanted ta go out with everybody else."

"What happened when Eleazar said you couldn't go to the club?" He was really trying his best to hear my version of the story. That's why I adored him. He was always on the side of fairness.

"Dad, he's being unfair. I kept tellin' him that I was alrite but he wouldn't believe me, and he kept tellin' me somethin' was wrong with me. Everybody got ta go out and have fun and I'm stuck in this house."

"Jasper." He paused again and said something to Mom. "Jasper, you guys will be there for another week. Go for a hunt and relax, son. You can go another time when your thirst is satiated."

"But I'm okay Dad. I just wanna go hang out."

"I know, but Jasper just listen to me for a moment." He was still calm and I knew he was about to convince me he was right and I was wrong.

"It's not fair." I sniffled again and wiped my eyes again. "Everybody-"

"Jazz, I need for you to listen please…" I sniffled again and cleared my throat.

"…but Dad…"

"Shhh…shhh…listen, Jazzy, listen to me." I cried harder. "I need for you to promise me you will go hunting and I will speak with Eleazar and see what we can do for the next time you all want to go out."

"But Dad…"

"Jasper, I can tell by the sound of your voice and from what I've heard that you need to hunt, son. I know you well enough Jasper and I believe that a hunt will do you well. I have to agree with Eleazar that perhaps you should stay in tonight."

"This isn't rite." I said, my voice quivering. "It just ain't rite."

"Jasper, do you think I'm treating you unfairly son?"

_What kind of question was that?_

"Yes."

"I'm sorry, son. I don't mean to be. I believe once you've quench your thirst you will be able to maintain better control when you go out. Please don't think that I'm being unfair. Please be obedient, son, and do as I ask. I promise I will give Eleazar permission to allow you to go out later in the week."

I knew this battle was lost and that there was no use in arguing further. I certainly wasn't about to buck against my father. He didn't play those kinds of games. He might not bust my ass for blood-slipping, but he would sure yank a knot in it for being disrespectful to him.

"Yes, sir." I conceded.

"I know this is hard for you, especially seeing everyone else go out, but I know you will feel much better after your hunt." He offered. I frowned at the phone, and was secretly thankful he couldn't see me. Eleazar was looking quite satisfied that Carlisle was basically agreeing with his position in all of this.

I sniffled. "Okay."

"Jasper, you were quite disrespectful to Eleazar and Carmen." And there it was. I was wondering when he was going to start riding my tail for that. I knew he wasn't going to allow me to get away with that. Other than sniffling, I was quiet.

"I don't like what I heard Jasper and the fact that Eleazar had to whip you is very disturbing and quite disappointing. I expect this behavior out of some of the others, but not you. You are usually very calm and respectful. Why would you do that son?"

I held the phone tightly against my ear and clutched my head. "I'm sorry, Dad." I hated for my father to be disappointed in me.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to son. I think you owe them an apology." He said.

"Yes, Sir." I said meekly. There was a brief pause and I knew he was giving me time to reflect on what he was saying.

"Why did Eleazar have to spank you?" I wasn't sure if my Dad was cool with other people spanking us, but it sure sounded like he wasn't. "What happened there?"

"It was nothin' Dad." I said.

"Don't tell me it was nothing, Jasper. He wouldn't have done that if there wasn't a good reason." His voice was serious and I knew he wasn't playing around with me.

"I was just mouthin' off, Dad. He hit me pretty hard." I felt like I should tell my Dad what this dude did to me, just in case he decided to come home and kick his ass.

My dad remained quiet as if trying to think about what I was saying. I heard my Mom saying, "_He did what?"_

"I will speak to him about that. In the meanwhile, I need for you to clean up your mess and be on your best behavior until we return. And what's this I hear about you wanting to fly back home?"

"That was when I was mad, Dad. I was gonna ask you if I could go." I wiped my eyes.

"I think you already know the answer to that."

"Yes, Dad. I'm not going."

"Jasper, you are a grown man. I didn't ask Eleazar to babysit you. I simply asked him to watch over you guys since we would be out of pocket for a while. You certainly have the right to do as you see fit, son. However, having said that, if you live under my roof, you will abide by my rules even when I'm not there. Do you understand, son?"

"Yes, Dad."

"That means you hunt on a regular basis to keep your thirst under control and you certainly don't fly back to Forks just because you're upset." Carlisle was _really _good at this chastising gig.

"I'm will hunt Dad and I'm not going home."

"And you _certainly_ don't disrespect your elders. Now I believe everything you've told me because you are my son and I trust you, but I do believe that Eleazar wouldn't have been harsh with you without good cause. I believe he was exercising what he considered to be sound judgment where you're concerned. Having said that, I will not undermined his intended authority and judgment where any of my children are concerned while I'm away. If I trust him enough to leave you guys with him, then I have to trust him to do right by you…all of you. He's been my friend longer than you've been born and I think that while he might have been rash and maybe misunderstood your intentions, he did everything in good faith. Am I making myself clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Now I don't want to hear of anymore of this. Go hunt and then you can go out later in the week. I want you to go hunting at least every other day to help you maintain control. I'm very proud of the control that you had at the mall today and I believe that you will continue to be strong where your thirst is concerned."

"Thank you, Dad."

"You're most welcome son. Now can you give the phone back to Eleazar?"

"Yes." I stood to hand him the phone.

"Jazzy?" My father asked before I could relinquish it.

"Sir?" My voice was mousy.

"I love you." I heard Mom saying something. "Your mother sends her love as well."

"I love you guys too." I cleared my throat. "Dad am I going ta get a whippin' when you get here for what happened with Eleazar and Carmen?"

"Do you think you deserve one, Jasper?"

_Hell no! _

"No, sir." I said in a low voice. "I already got one."

"Well, Jasper, I'm not going to punish you for this incident because you were honest and we've talked and hopefully we've resolved this. If you do as I've asked, there shouldn't be any more problems."

"I won't do anything else, Dad." I promised, fidgeting with my nails.

"Alright. If Eleazar reports anymore of this disrespecting, yelling, swearing, and such I am going to blister your behind when I get there Sunday. Do you hear me?"

"Yes, Dad, I won't do anything else." I promised again.

"Very well then. I expect that you will give them the same respect that you give to me and your mother. Anything less and I will wear your behind out with my belt."

"Alrite." My voice was low.

"Alright, Sport, give the phone back to Eleazar. I love you." He repeated his affections again.

"I love you more." I said and managed a feeble smile.

He chuckled. "I love you most."

I handed the phone back to Eleazar and sat back down and held my head between my hands. I was so embarrassed. Carmen sensed this and came over and sat on the arm of the chair and wrapped her arms around me. I listened intently as my father spoke with Eleazar about the incident. Eleazar apologized for losing his temper and spanking me and my father reassured him that there was no foul between them. I also heard him tell Eleazar that if he had any more problems with me, to wait until he got back on Sunday and he would take care of me. That was his way of telling his longtime friend, in a _very_ _nice_ _way_, that he was _not_ cool with him hitting me. I knew he wouldn't be cool with that. That was my Dad. He might bust my ass good, but he wasn't down with other people doing it…well other than Mama, but she was against that belt like the NRA was against gun banning. Eleazar was a smart man and I was sure he got the hint. Needless to say, they would remain very close friends.

I heard my Dad telling him that I was going to go hunting tonight and then at least every other day and that I had his permission to go out later in the week once my thirst was satisfied. He also told him that I would be apologizing to them for my outburst and that I shouldn't be any more trouble. Eleazar apologized to him again for his part in this, and reassured him that he meant me no harm and that he was only concerned for my safety and the safety of others. Carlisle assured him that he trusted his judgment and that all was well. They exchanged their final sentiments, Mom sent her love to everyone including Carmen, and she sent hers back, and they ended the call.

I obeyed my father and offered my apologies to them and they agreed to go hunting with me. We left and hunted for a while and I had to admit I started feeling much better. My Dad was right. He was always right and more importantly he always knew what I needed. Yep. He was my Dad and that's why I loved him. I decided to take down a couple more animals before I was done for the night. I couldn't wait to hear stories from the guys' night out. At least I could look forward to going the next time. As of now, I just knew I _really _loved my Daddy, and that I had to stay in Eleazar's good graces because I didn't want that belt when he and Mom got back on Sunday.

A/N: Well there you have it. Jasper loves his Daddy and his Daddy certainly loves him. Please review.


	2. Chapter 2 Welcome Home

Disclaimer: Carlisle wants to belong to me…I have chosen to let him stay for a while with the understanding that SM can come take him anytime. I do own the story and all the errors…that's pretty much it.

A/N: Here is the second and final chapter to Father Knows Best…Carlisle and Esme come back from their vacation. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

Jasper's POV

"I'm glad that you like the hammock." I opened my eyes to see Eleazar standing next to me. It was about four o'clock in the evening and I was anxiously waiting for my parents to announce their arrival from their extended two month vacation. Don't get me wrong. I fully understood that my parents deserved time to themselves, but I never thought I'd miss them so much. In the beginning, we were all kind of excited that our folks would be gone and when they informed us that they would be gone for two full months, we were beside ourselves. Total freedom! We would be crazy if we didn't like that idea. Then they sprang Eleazar and Carmen on us. Then it went from total freedom to total let down.

Since Mom and Dad were flying out of Alaska on their way out, they decide to let us "bond" with their best friends, our extended family. I personally didn't have a problem with visiting them because we didn't get to visit with them but twice a year. Usually our family visited Denali after school got out for the summer, and they flew to Washington to visit us during Christmas. Last year they missed the Christmas visit because Eleazar surprised Carmen with some exotic vacation, so they were more than happy to "babysit" us. My parents claimed we were not being "babysat," but come on! We were not stupid. We knew they didn't want us to be alone with our wiles for too long.

"Yeah, the hammock is great." I started to get up. "I hope you don't mind."

He put his hand gently on my shoulder to keep me from moving. "Please don't get up. You're fine. I just saw you out here and I decided to come see what you were up to."

I shrugged and reclined in the hammock again. "Well. Alice and Rosalie went shoppin' with Carmen, and I just don't have the patience ta deal with Emmett, and Edward's been talkin' to Bella all day. I came out here for a little while ta just hang out."

"I see. Well, it is a fine day to relax." He crossed his arms and looked at a couple birds that were dancing in and around a bird feeder. "So, did you have fun last night at the club…uh…Lunar is it?"

I looked up at him and shrugged. "Yes. It was real cool. We had a lot of fun."

He smiled and I could understand why he and Dad had been friends for so long. His personality was similar to my father's. "I'm glad you had a chance to go, and had a good time." There was a brief pause as he looked off toward something else. "Jasper, I know we've talked about what happened earlier in the week, but I just wanted to apologize once again for losing my temper the way I did. I overreacted and I should have trusted you. I just didn't want anything to happen to you while your parents were away. Please forgive me."

I folded my hands and placed them under my head and crossed my legs. "Don't sweat it. I understand."

"Good. I just wanted you to know that I wasn't trying to be mean to you, I just wanted to make sure Carlisle found you in the same condition he left you in when he returns."

I smiled. "Like I said, it's no problem. Everything worked out."

He nodded again. "Okay. Carmen and I just noticed that you were a little…uh…standoffish this week…ever since the incident. We just wanted to make sure there are no hard feelings between us. You and your family mean a lot to us, and we don't want any rifts in our relationship with you all."

"None at all. I shouldn't have gone off like I did, and I'm real sorry for that." I stood up and faced him.

He raised his hands. "All is forgiven. I really am sorry for hitting you. When I was a mere lad, if mis padres left me with someone else and I misbehaved, they would have taken a paddle to me. Then when my folks returned to collect me, I would have gotten another paddling. Nowadays that is unacceptable. I shouldn't have loss control like that and hit you. That is your father's job. I hope he won't be too angry about that."

_He might not let on to you that he didn't like it, but he definitely didn't like it. _

"Ya'll are cool. I'm sure my Dad forgot 'bout it as soon as he hung up the phone." I lied. They may be good friends, but he didn't forget about it. My Dad wouldn't forget about someone hittin' his boy…no suh! Not my Dad.

"I hope so. He's been my friend for centuries. He knows I wouldn't intentionally bring harm to his family." It sounded like he was trying to convince himself or make himself feel better about what he'd done. Either way, I wished he would let it go.

"It's all good. Dad respects ya and he won't be mad-"

His cell phone rang and interrupted us. He held up his pointer finger. "It's your father. Just a minute, please." He answered on the third ring. "Carlisle! ¿Cómo estás, mi amigo?" I listened to him and my father's entire conversation in Spanish. Dad was always speaking in different languages and trying to teach us, but no one but Edward even cared. It wasn't long before he bid Dad farewell and traveling grace.

"Your father was calling to inform us that their plane landed thirty minutes ago and they are waiting on their baggage. They will be here within the next two hours or so."

I nodded. "Okay. I will text the othas and let'em know." I pulled out my phone and texted my siblings and Alice.

_Dad and Mom are on their way. I reckon they'll be here in two hours or so. _

Everybody responded with a simple "okay" or "cool." Well…Alice was the only one who offered any objection. Hers read, _"Oh, no! I was about to try on a pair of Robert Cavalli's, Rose is trying on some Jimmy Choos, and Carmen is shopping for a new shirt. We are not finish! Maybe Daddy won't mind if we're late."_

I just shook my head. Ever since Alice and I joined this family, I'd always wanted to earn my keep, but Dad did not think it was wise for us to try to hold down public jobs. According to him, he'd had years of experience and keeping a low profile was difficult for even him at times, so he didn't want to risk us slipping up and making a mistake that could expose us. He told us that he had to often remember that humans got tired, took breaks and vacations, ate lunch, got sick, or whatever it was that they did. He had to remind himself to be as normal as possible. He assured us that it wasn't because he didn't trust us, but we knew he was kind of afraid that we would eventually screw up; my words, not his.

Since we were not allowed to work and make our own way, Dad gave us work to do around the house. He tried to be fair and rotate the chores so that we were not always stuck doing the same thing. For example, when we arrived back home, my assignment will be to paint the fence and Edward will paint the porch, while Emmett will pretend to paint the garage. The girls will have to do some rinky-dink stuff Mom assigned them inside.

In exchange for doing chores, Dad gave us money weekly. He gave us the same amount to keep things balanced. Dad invested large sums of money for each of us and the interest from those investments was where our "allowance" came from. It was ridiculous how wealthy my parents were. They were loaded with cash. Lots and lots of cash. Their net worth could probably be estimated at $36.2 billion, maybe more. That was because his money came from investments and compound interest. I guess that happened when you have existed for more than three centuries and have a daughter who can see the future.

_Technically_, I guess it could be argued that Alice and I came to the Cullens completely broke and her visions were now making money for the two of us, but she was really _only _predicting the stock market's increased revenue based on _Dad's _money. She was just helping it "grow," but technically the money was his from the start. I didn't have my own money when I met her, and even though she could see the future, she didn't have money of her own to invest. So without his money, her visions would have been useless. It was a two-fold process.

Dad had encouraged me and Alice to take the interest from her visions and invest it for ourselves, that way we wouldn't be reliant up his money to make money. Not that he had a problem with that. He just wanted us to have a way of making our own money. He insisted that he had enough money of his own, and that Alice didn't need to continue to increase it, but she wouldn't hear of it. Alice loved expensive things. She loved to shop, so therefore she loved the thrill of making money so she _could_ shop. It was insanity.

Unlike the rest of us kids, Edward had a nice lump sum of money that was somehow unattached to Dad's…I think. When Dad changed him, Edward's biological parents had save money in the bank for him since his birth for college and what-not, and when they died, they left him that plus a hefty amount of insurance money. Dad took all of that money and invested it for him and took care of Edward with his physician's wages.

When Alice came along, and Edward's money began to grow, my brother merged all of it with Dad's because he felt that if Alice was going to be helping increase the money, then the entire family should benefit from it. Edward loved and trusted my Dad more than anyone. Dad had objected when Edward proposed the merger, but Edward knew he would do right by him, and relinquished the money without hesitation. Dad reluctantly agreed, but Edward didn't lose a dime of the money. He, like the rest of us, had a sizable trust fund. He would never want or lack for anything.

Alice and I talked about it and agreed that like Edward, we didn't want to make our own money independent of Dad. We were a part of his family now and we fell under his authority. However he chose to manage his money and divvy it out to us, we would go with that. We were not greedy or selfish, and we strongly felt that if we were going to submit to Dad's leadership as our coven leader and be immortal Cullens, then we would submit to his financial authority as well. Of course, he told us that wasn't necessary, and continued to encourage some separation, but we refused. He was honored by our trust in him, and promised that anytime we wanted separation he would not fight against it. However, there were times he withheld our allowance as punishment or would take Alice's cards for whatever reason. Even in those cases, we still submitted to him without opposition…well…without _serious_ _meaningful _opposition. What teenager wouldn't object to their parents taking their money?

Like I said before; we all completely trusted our Dad. He had always had our best interests at heart and we knew he would never take advantage or harm us. He would never cheat or steal from us. He loved us too much. He kept very accurate records with his accountant, and if we ever wanted to leave he would give us our fair share. That was never a concern though. I couldn't speak for the others, but Alice and I were here to stay. I was sure the others were too.

Mom of course had complete access to anything Dad had. She was well taken care of, but she never flaunted our wealth. She worked as an architect for a while, and now she did paid architectural design projects for different companies, but it was mainly for fun. Dad didn't require her to work. He made a decent salary, _very _lucrative salary, as the Chief Surgeon at Forks General, and they lived off of that.

My parents gave generous donations to the hospital, children's programs, various medical programs, schools, zoos, churches, scholarship funds, girl and boy scouts, dogs and cats r' us…you name it. The more they earned, the more they gave. They even sent nice monetary birthday, anniversary, and Christmas gifts to our Denali family. I'm sure if Eleazar ever needed anything, Dad freely gave it to him without begrudging.

They gave away more money than they spent on themselves, and they didn't even claim their donations as deductions on their taxes, because they always had the potential for increase. It was their way of "giving back" for fortunately being blessed to have such power to get wealth month after month, year after year. It never ended when you were immortal. So that being said, Alice was a serious shopaholic and they would not be back by the time our parents got here.

"Everybody is good." I told Eleazar, putting my phone in my pocket. "But yeah, I wouldn't worry 'bout my Dad." I said. "I'm happy as all git out that they're back!"

He laughed. "I'll bet you are. It seems that Carlisle has spoiled you. You seemed to be quite the "niño de papa."

I grinned and shook my head. "Yip. I'm definitely a Papa's boy!" I boasted and he laughed. "I love my Dad, somethin' fierce."

He nodded in agreement. "I can tell. Carlisle deserves to have such a wonderful family. He's a good man. It doesn't surprise me that you boys are so close to him. Although he loved his father, he wasn't that close to him. The bond between them was weak. It stands to reason he would give so much of himself to his children. Admittedly at times I feel somewhat envious. Don't misunderstand me. I am blessed with my wife and my coven, but I wish I had the love of sons and daughters as Carlisle does. While we share your vegetarian lifestyle and consider ourselves to be your extended family, we don't share your same family dynamic. The girls consider themselves to be sisters of course, but after we joined them, we were just members of their coven. The dynamic is completely different."

I nodded. "I understand. In the beginnin,' my Dad and I didn't hit it off sa well. It wasn't that we didn't like each otha. It was just that I didn't know how ta take him. I wasn't used ta someone bein' sa nice and all. My real father was good ta me when I was human, but then there was Maria and I all but forgot what it was like ta have somebody love me like that."

We were walking back towards the house now. My parents had planned to stay a few days before we left Denali, so I didn't have to be in a hurry to pack all of my stuff. It was actually cool to talk to Eleazar like this.

"When Alice and I came, Dad took us rite in, and lookin' back I can see that he loved us from the beginnin.' Even though I struggle with my thirst more than the othas, and I lack self-control at times, Dad never gives up on me. I finally earned his trust and I don't want to hurt him or let him down. He's helped me stay strong and ta keep my focus. He never judges or criticizes me when I mess up or feel like I wanna mess up. He's a good Dad and coven leader and he's always got my back. Maria never did that. That's why I love him sa much. He truly cares 'bout what happens ta me and my Alice."

We were about halfway to the house when he asked, "How do you feel about him spanking you? I mean you are a grown man. All of you are grown. What does that do to you as adults knowing that someone punishes you in that manner? I know I gave you a few swats, but that's not what I usually do."

I stopped walking and looked taken aback. He quickly offered an explanation to his question. "I mean you were a confederate army soldier with high rank. You trained others how to fight, and destroyed them when they were no longer useful. You were strong and fearless, able to manipulate the emotions of others around you. I mean, I've often wondered how…uh…Carlisle's…uh…methods affects not only you, but the others as well."

I didn't know whether to be more offended that he was boldly reminding me of a past that I wished I could forget about, or that he was questioning my Dad business. That kind of ticked me off.

"Well, Eleazar, not ta git outta line here, but if you feel that way, maybe those questions should be directed ta my Dad. I'm sure he'd be more than happy ta talk ta you 'bout them." He looked shocked or maybe it was embarrassment. "But I will tell ya this much. The things that Maria did ta me were more than cruel. They were brutal and unfittin' even ta the worse beast. She even began ta plot ta kill me when I was no longer willin' ta go along with her killin' and such.

I agree that my history is strong, scarred, but strong. I could resist my Dad if I really wanted to, but I choose ta submit ta his authority and discipline over me the way that he's sees fit. That is my conscious and willful choice. He doesn't force me to do that…never has. I love my Dad and he loves me. I know ta you and othas he his methods may seem childish, but it's the way I choose to live. Dad doesn't choose that for me…I do. I could stop it at any time I wanted ta. I would have ta leave, but either way it's always been my choice.

We have created ourselves a family, one with a Dad and Mom and brothers and sisters…a family that some of us had the pleasure of experiencin' before we were turned. I know that some coven leaders don't really give a damn 'bout their people and they certainly don't operate as a family. Many of them would kill members of their coven for messin' up a lot less than we do, but Dad is patient and kind and a darn good leader. He doesn't abuse us, or punish for no reason. Heck, he's the only man I know that hugs on us and all of that after he busts our butts. My real Pa didn't _even_ do that. I will admit, I don't like gettin' spankins.' I can stannit and it hurts like hell 'cause my Dad can lay them down like no one else. I hate endin'up cryin' like a little kid, but after being in a coven like Maria's, I would gladly accept Dad's way any day."

He nodded in understanding. "I mean no offense, Jasper, and I apologize if any was taken. I've talked with Carlisle about this before, and I'm personally not against corporal punishment. He and I disagree on this issue of delivery, but I'm not against it. I don't hit members of my coven, and I certainly don't resort to elementary style punishment like taking them over my knee. They are all adults and they can either fall in line or leave. I will admit that I gave you those few swats because I knew that Carlisle punished you like that. I wouldn't have done it otherwise."

We started walking again. "Well like I just said. I trust my father. You may think he treats us like children, but he gives us plenty of rope. I find no fault in him for doin' what he does. Again its always my choice. 'Sides, I like the makin' up part. My Dad is an old softy." I laughed. "He's a big teddy bear and I know it's wierd, but I actually _like _it when he hugs on us and stuff. Before I came to his house, I was lucky ta even have somebody say good mornin' ta me, let alone hug me. Shucks. My Dad doesn't leave the house without sayin' goodbye ta us, and before we go ta bed at nite, he always comes to our rooms and talks ta us or whatever. Especially Edward because Bella isn't there with him and Dad doesn't like for him ta feel lonely and left out. That's pretty cool. _No one_ has ever treated us like that except for Mom."

Eleazar listened intently at what I was saying. He had a strange look on his face...confusion maybe?

"I know you don't understand, but it's kinda like...you know how he's been callin' us every night to check on us. I promise that is how he _always_ is. Like sometimes when he's at work, he calls ta talk to us. When he comes home from work, he either plays Xbox with Emmett, listens to Edward play, rides the motorcycles with me, fixes on Rosie's junkers with her, or takes Alice ta see a movie or go shopping. He's like the _coolest_ Dad in the whole world. In fact, he's so cool that we have to remind ourselves he's our coven leader too." I laughed again.

He was looking like he couldn't believe a strong coven leader such as Dad could actually do those things and still manage. I don't know. Maybe I was misunderstanding what he was thinking.

"I hope you children understand the gift that you have in Carlisle." I nodded and he didn't say any more about it as we walked back into the house. The girls were still gone, but my brothers were there. I immediately felt a gut-wrenching blow of anger when Eleazar and I walked into the living room.

_Edward it's cool. Eleazar was just talkin' ta me and it's nothing. He just wanted to know how I felt about being whipped and all._

He nodded and gave Eleazar a nasty look, but he didn't notice. I should have known that Edward would read our minds and be ticked about Eleazar saying or thinking stuff about our Dad. He didn't like for anyone to mess with Dad. I considered myself to be Dad's favorite, but so did Edward and everybody else. Edward was quite the Daddy's boy too, and he was _extremely_ overprotective of our father. He was the first of all of us, and I fully understood that there was a special place etched on Dad's heart that no one, not even Mom, could ever fill but Edward.

The bond between those two was strong, and I had occasionally talked to my Dad about it. He didn't try to lie about it, and acknowledge my concern with honesty. He admitted that he and Edward share a strong bond between them that was uniquely theirs and could never be destroyed. He went on to reassure me that he and I shared a unique bond of our own that was completely different than the one he shared with my brother.

In the beginning I was jealous because I wanted to give my father the kind of love that Edward gave him and I wanted him to love me like he did Edward. Edward and I fought many times over this very thing, because we were both competing for his affection. Edward felt threatened when I came along, and he resented Dad starting a father-son relationship with me. He couldn't stand me at first, and soon we began to pit ourselves against each other. Of course, Dad was not having that at all. He talked to us and had us discuss our concerns. He assured us over and over that there was enough of him to go around, and he tried his best to spend time with each of us including Emmett.

The girls didn't have this problem, because Rosalie knew her place and she didn't give a damn what Alice did or didn't do. Alice's relationship with Dad had nothing to do with hers. If only we guys could understand that. Mom thought it was rather cute that we were all fighting over him, and somewhat appalled that we didn't fight over her. We didn't have to. She was Mama and we loved her regardless. We were all Mama's boys, and we could easily find her lap when we needed it.

I don't know what it was about Dad's "lap" that we fought over, but we did. It got so bad at one point that Dad had to threaten to whip us if we didn't straighten up. He told us that we were a family, living in the same house, and that he was father to all of us, and dammit he wanted the senseless and frivolous arguing to end. We paid attention to that long enough for it to get out of his mouth, and went right back to arguing and physically fighting each other. That landed our butts in hot water with him. Pretty soon we started getting the message, and started getting along better, but we still struggled with jealousy. Dad was aware of it and tried to do his part to make it fair, but he pretty much got over trying to explain equality. He just decided to allow us to come to terms with it on our own with the understanding that if we fought, our behinds were his.

We hadn't physically fought each other in a while, but we argued all the time. Dad didn't like it, but I knew firsthand that secretly his heart swelled knowing that he was no longer a monster lying in a sewer with gutter rats, but he was a father who had children fighting over his love. To some extent, we Cullen boys, especially Edward and me, fought on purpose because Edward could read his mind and I could feel his heart. We did it because we loved him and knew that he deserved our love and if for no other purpose, just to make his private section of immortality worth living in. Sometimes, after he would get on to us for it, we would secretly smile at each other knowing that we were able to give him something in return for all of the love he gave so freely to us.

Eleazar disappeared to his room and I joined my brothers in the living room and awaited the next game of "Call of Duty 4." It wasn't long before we were all wrapped up in the game and laughing and playing with each other. Eleazar came back to join us in the living and the girls had yet to make an appearance from their shopping trip. It was a good thing they didn't get tired. Heck! I was a damn immortal vampire and I got tired shopping with them.

"Mom and Pops are here!" Emmett boomed. He rushed to the door with the two of us quickly in tow. Eleazar laughed and followed us outside. Dad got out of their rental car looking like a teenager himself. It was amazing what a vacation could do for you…even for immortals. Amazing! I made a mental note to take Alice somewhere. I'm sure the folks wouldn't mind as long as we told them where were going and stayed out of trouble. He walked at a human pace to open Mom's door and while he was waiting on her to gather her things, he smiled to us and opened his arms wide for us. Of course, we didn't disappoint.

"Dad!" We all leaped off the porch and glided in mid-air towards him and tackled him to the ground. He was surprised by our pounce, and could barely contain his laughter as we hugged and yes…kissed him. Mom was laughing and rolled her eyes at our display, and though he was laughing too, I felt a singe of envy from Eleazar. If Edward read his mind, I didn't know it because he was too busy attacking Dad.

"Guys." Dad laughed. "Guys. I'm happy to see you all too. Now get me off of this ground. Ugh!" We all laughed and helped him up. He then hugged each of us and told us how much he'd missed us and how great it was to be back with us. We helped clean the grass off of his clothes.

Mom got out of the car and we were all talking incessantly to Dad at the same time. He laughed and talked back to us, and Mom shut the door and stood by the car. She smiled and crossed her arms over her chest and her heeled feet over each other.

"Ugnn…unnn…" She cleared her throat to remind us that she was standing there and that she was still very much the other half of this parenting duo. "I know that I've been gone for two months, but I don't think that I became invisible while I was gone."

We walked over to her and Emmett picked her up like a ragdoll in the air and spun her around so high we could see her underwear. Mommy-gross…but nevertheless they were not old lady drawers- that was for sure. I'm sure Dad appreciated that lacy view more than we did.

"Emmett Dale Cullen! Put me down." I felt another hint of envy from the porch, but controlled the overflow from myself so that Dad wouldn't know that his best friend was kind of hating on him…but in a good way though.

"Okay." That big barney loaf threw our mother at Edward without warning and he caught her with no problem. It was a good thing for her and Emmett that he could read minds. She caught the gleam in his eye, and pointed her finger at him.

"Edward…" He grinned. "Edward Anthony Cullen! Ahhh…you little-" Her words were muffled as he threw her up in the air. Of course, he caught her in a bridal sweep and spun her around and started kissing her all over her face.

"You little stinker. I'm going to…" She caught another sly glimmer in his eyes and immediately protested. "Edward you better not throw me." Dad and Eleazar were laughing harder now. "Edward Cullen, you better not throwww meeee!"

He jumped about ten feet and tossed her high in the air to me and I followed his lead, but this time I leaped into the air and joined her. I caught her and twirled both of us in mid-air. I gracefully landed on my feet with her in my arms, and gave her lots of kisses. I was laughing and so were the other men in the yard.

"Bravo." Eleazar cheered. "Encore. Encore." Dad was bent over laughing.

"NO!" Mom said, straightening her dress. "I'm about to tear up some serious ass." She was laughing and I saw my brothers coming behind her.

"Not before we give you this." Emmett said and we covered her face with wet sloppy venom kisses. Emmett made his wetter on purpose.

"Ewww…ewww…ewww." She feigned disgust…wait maybe she really was disgusted. We laughed some more and Dad finally came to her rescue and gently fastened her body to his.

"Alright, guys. Shoo! Go away. I think she knows that you're excited to see her too." He said giving her a gentle squeeze. He leaned into her and whispered in her ear. "By the way, love the panties honey. Pink is nice."

I swear I almost saw a vampire faint. She looked like she would die…for real this time. We all burst into laughter and my Dad, seeing her embarrassment, pulled her to his muscular chest, and gingerly kissed her forehead and the top of her head. They walked hand and hand into the house behind us, stopping to greet Eleazar.

"Boy, if my folks greeted me like that when I came home, I'd probably die." They laughed at his "joke" but I knew he really meant it. "Come on in and relax."

"Where are the girls?" My Dad asked. Then he thought about it. "Oh never mind." Everybody laughed.

Mom and Dad took a seat and we went back to playing. They proceeded to tell Eleazar about their trip. Since I lost my battle, and Emmett and Edward were now challenging each other again, I slowly crept towards the side of the couch my Dad was sitting on. He and Eleazar were talking about some comedian he'd listened to. Dad was so down-to-earth. His laughter was catching and I laughed right along with them. Judging by the way he was chumming with his old friend, no one would ever know he was so wealthy and privileged. Even now as he was dressed in a pair of True Religion jeans that I was sure cost no less than three or four hundred dollars, and the coordinating Buddah sweater, a person would only be able to _assume_ his socioeconomic status. He was just as comfortable and care free as ever, and would have been the same if he was wearing a pair of jeans from Wal-Mart. I had to admit that those Armani ankle boots were pretty fly, though not really my style. I was sure Alice would foam over them.

In no time, I was sitting on the floor between my parents' knees. I waited a while, but I eventually rested my head on Dad's lower thigh. This was normal behavior for us, so he just kept right on talking. He wasn't startled or disturbed by my presence, but was still laughing with his old buddy. Soon after that, while in the middle of a sentence, he put his hand on my face and lovingly stroked my cheek with his thumb and never stopped his sentence. I snuggled closer to him, and smiled. Mom laughed at something he was saying, and I tried to use my abilities to soak up every bit of this tender moment between me and my Dad.

"So the kids weren't too much trouble, I hope." They'd finally stopped laughing long enough to change the subject and focus on us. Oh boy here we go.

Eleazar shrugged. "Oh no, no. They were great. Carmen and I enjoyed having them here. With Tanya and the other girls gone on their vacation, our house would have been _unusually_ quiet with your bunch here."

Dad laughed knowingly. "Quiet is an understatement. My children are the noisiest group I've ever had the privilege of living with. There's never a dull moment, that's for sure."

They laughed.

"Amen." My mother said softly. "Preach preacher!" They laughed again at our expense.

"Hey!" We said in unison. The game was over and Emmett came and plopped on the couch beside Mom.

"Please get your feet off of that table, Emmett." She scolded as he just made himself right at home. Truthfully, he'd been doing it all week and so had the owners of this big house. They didn't seem to mind at all, but our mother had issues with feet on furniture.

He sucked his teeth and grumbled while removing them. She gave him that "I know you just didn't do that" look. "What?" He asked.

"Don't act like that Emmett. You know better than to put your feet on furniture." She scolded again.

"Mom, I've been putting my feet on this table all week." She gasped softly. My Dad looked around her but the look on his face was "you dumb ass." Edward and I had to stifle a laugh…so did Eleazar.

"_Really_?" She asked, crossing her arms and legs.

"Yeah, Mom they don't mind." She shook her head in disbelief. He really couldn't understand her fuss.

"Well I mind. You don't put your feet on our table at home, and you shouldn't put it on other people's." He frowned. "You know better than that."

"Mom…chill. Damn. They're off." He held his feet up. "See. Happy now?" He crossed his arms and rolled his eyes at her. "Damn! Always fuckin' bitchin." He hurriedly covered his mouth with his hand to hide his slip of the tongue. He obviously didn't mean for _that _to come out. He must have thought he was talking to Rosalie. "Oops…sorry Mom."

We all gasped. Mom was astonished, and slid to the edge of the couch in a millisecond and turned her back to all of the men in the room so she could get directly in Emmett's line of vision. Her newly straighten hair flowed freely behind her. Mom hadn't been back a split second and he was already in the hot seat, and don't think she didn't let him know _exactly_ how she felt about that little teen-tude he was giving her.

"Emmett, you need to-" Dad started to get on to him, but Mom lifted her hand behind her back to stop him.

"No, no, honey. I got this." Oh man. She was in Mom mode big time. "_Emmett Dale Cullen_, who do you think you are talking to like that?" She asked, obviously not giving a damn that there was a non-Cullen in the room. "Don't get it twisted. I am your mother and you _will_ show me respect, and if you roll your eyes at me again, I'll give you a real reason to have this little attitude."

He shook his head as if shrugging her off and he rolled his eyes again. He mumbled something under his breath. She was taken aback. Dad was patiently letting Mom take the reins. I knew if Mom didn't get him, he would. Emmett would have never pulled that stunt with Dad. I guess he figured Mom would let him get away with it.

"Come here." She stood up and started walking toward one of the guest rooms.

_Or not. _Everyone was surprised. Eleazar was looking like _"Wow. This is how the Cullens role?"_

He didn't stand, but look towards her from his position on the couch. "Mom, I didn't mean to say that. I'm sorry."

"Now, Emmett. I am not playing with you." She walked into the room and didn't look back. He looked around at Dad as if seeking support.

"Don't look at me. You know better." Edward and I started laughing. "Boys…" To Eleazar's surprise, we immediately zipped it. For him to have been Dad's friend for so long, he sure was surprise by the control Dad had over his coven. Emmett huffed very loudly and got up and followed Mom into the room. Edward and I looked at each other and barely stifled our laughter. Dad lightly tapped the back of our heads.

"Ow." We said rubbing our heads. "Really, Dad?"

"Do you want to join him?" He asked.

"No way."

He smiled and shook his head at Eleazar. "Aye. Aye. Aye."

We listened while Mom gave Emmett the chewing of a lifetime. I think he would have been better off if she'd just whipped him...wait...were those licks I heard? _Did Mom, my sweet Mom, give him a few parental licks? _ She laid into him good. Dad just sat with his arms crossed, toying with the bridge of his nose, his eyebrow, or whatever. Eleazar just sat with his hands clasped together between his knees listening to my mother give her wayward son a solid piece of her mind and what sounded to me like something a little more painful. I couldn't hold it any longer. I let a little laugh escape.

"You know, Jasper, I don't think you have much room to be laughing after that stunt you pulled earlier in the week." Dad chimed in. I immediately zipped it. Edward was holding his head between his knees to hide his amusement. "And Edward don't laugh, because I'm _sure_ you're bound to be there soon enough." He also sealed it.

Dad shook his head and chuckled when Eleazar looked at him again with amusement. "Oh, geez." He said. "Our children are going to be the death of us yet."

Eleazar laughed. He seemed impressed by my parents. "Oh, they do keep you young, don't they?" They laughed at the private joke.

"I guess you could say that." My Dad said, rubbing his forehead. "They do make life interesting."

"You're very bless, my friend." He smiled, but I felt the pain behind it. Dad didn't notice.

"I agree." He tapped our heads again. "I don't know what I'd do with these knuckleheads.

"Hey watch it old man! Don't make us have to take this outside." Edward joked.

"Old man?"

"Would hate ta have ta get ya all dirty." I interjected, laughing. "…make a nice little mud pie outta ya. We _all_ know how much you _just_ love the dirt." Everyone knew about my Dad's issues with cleanliness and hygiene. I guess it was the doctor in him that made him crazy as a Betsy-bug when it came to his OCD.

He grabbed me behind my neck and applied enough pressure to make me squeal like a little girl.

"Ow…ow…ow…"

"You threatening me boy?" He teased and kept the pressure on my neck.

"Naw, suh. Edward…it was Edward…" I threw him under the bus with the quickness. "Edward threatened, I was just sayin-'

"Hey!" Dad grabbed Edward behind his neck. "Dad! Jasper I can't believe you threw me under the bus." Dad squeezed harder. "You traitor! Benedict Arnold!"

Dad and Eleazar laughed. "I don't know Carlisle. I think they need to be taught a lesson."

"NO WE DON'T!" We said as Dad applied a little more pressure. "We're good."

Dad let us go and he and his old buddy laughed it off. We were rubbing our necks. "Dad, you're a strong sum-a-" He slapped my head again. "Ow! I wasn't gonna say it!"

Mama walked out of the guest room, with a sulking Emmett behind her.

"Sit, down." She told him and pointed to his seat. He obeyed, but dammit he didn't like it. He was pissed. He plopped down on the couch, but was smart enough not to open his mouth again. Edward was laughing probably because he'd intercepted their thoughts. Mom came over to where we were and he abruptly stopped laughing. We gulped.

"Edward, stop with the head-snooping." She said forcefully.

"Yes, Ma'am." He said meekly.

She looked from me to my brother and back at the other men.

"Remind me to stay on your good side." Eleazar joked.

She laughed and took her seat next to Dad. He turned and looked at her with a knowing sparkle in his eyes. "Oh just hush." She swatted his bicep and he laughed. He was always telling her that she was too soft with us and that she needed to bust our behinds when we got out of line. She wouldn't hear of it, and was just as content with giving us a serious tongue lashing and grounding us.

"I told you, honey, they do that because they think you're easy on them." Dad offered. "Spare the rod, spoil the vampire." Eleazar snorted and he and dad had another little laugh fest.

She brushed her hair out of her face. "Whatever you say dear." She turned to Eleazar. "I apologize, Eleazar. I'm sorry you had to witness that little outburst from my son."

He held up his hands, still laughing. "It's nothing, really. You guys are so entertaining. Boys will be boys."

"Well, that may be true, but you and Carmen have dealt with enough testosterone induced mania for one week. It's bad enough you had to deal with Jasper."

I shook my head…_Just can't lettit go, can you Mama?_

She tucked her hair behind her ears. "Again, I'm sorry and Em will be cleaning that table."

"There's no worry. He was only doing what we allowed him to do. We'll get it later." What he didn't understand was that she didn't like clutter or messiness of any sort. She couldn't stand it. That's why she was the perfect mate for Dad. It was embarrassing that her children would go off from home and act like that. "It really is quite alright."

Dad squeezed her knee because he knew how she was about that kind of stuff. She folded her arms again and bit her lip thoughtfully. She shook her head and let it go.

"Sounds like the women are back." Eleazar said. Carmen came into the house first.

"We're finally back." Carmen said when walked into the living room. She properly greeted her husband and then Mom and Dad stood to hug her neck. She greeted us boys and sat her bags down. "Whew…your girls are serious shoppers."

"Tell me about it." Dad said. "It's quite ridiculous." Mom shook her head, because she liked to shop too, just not as much as Alice and Rose. "Well it is, dear. It's one thing to shop for necessities, but an entirely different thing to try to own the damn store."

Rose came into the house next. "Daddy! Mom!" She went over to them and hugged both of them and they kissed her. I headed toward the door to help Alice.

"Hi, Emmy." Rose saw Emmett pouting on the couch. "What's wrong with him?" Mom gave her a knowing look. She shrugged. She was used to him getting blasted for his stupidity, so she didn't make a big deal of it. "Never mind." She picked up her bags and went to her room. I was sure he wanted to follow her, but Mom had not released him from his seat. He knew better than to get up. I just laughed and went outside.

We came back inside minutes later, and Alice literally leaped into Dad's lap. "Daddy, I thought you'd never come back!" Carmen and Eleazar were tickled by her excitement.

"Like you'd let me stay away." He was grinning ear to ear. "Hi, baby girl."

Alice and Rose were his princesses. Everybody knew that. He talked that big game about tail-busting, but he let them get away with murder. Although he has whipped both of them in the past, he didn't bring that belt out too often with them.

Alice finally climbed out of his lap and into Mom's. "Hi, Mom!" She giggled and Mom just shook her head.

"Alice get…" Alice kissed her cheek causing Mom to laugh. "Alice get down." Alice laughed and hopped up and came over to where I was sitting. "I swear you kids are _so_ rotten."

We all laughed. I was glad that they didn't see that reception Alice had given me in the yard. _That_ would have been embarrassing. Well, I'm sure Edward saw it with his nosy self.

It was starting to get late. "Emmett, why don't you help me get our bags out of the car?" We all knew what Dad was doing. He wanted to speak with Emmett privately, but after the ugly encounter he'd had with Mom, Dad wasn't taking him out there to punish him or to fuss at him more. He was probably wanting to try to cheer him up. I saw Edward give Dad a little nod. He must have asked for privacy. Dad stood up and Emmett did too.

"Daddy, that outfit is hawt!" Rose exclaimed when she came back into the room. "You look sexy! Mom, you better watch out."

He looked down at his clothes and Eleazar and Carmen were staring at him. "Thank you, baby."

"Yes, Daddy. You are _super_ dapper in those clothes. And I _love_ the boots. The boots are _a_ die!" Alice squealed clapping her dainty little hands and bouncing excitedly on the couch. I _knew _she would love them. I didn't see what all the hype was about. They looked like plain old boots to me, something that would be very practical to wear, and definitely something Dad would have chosen. He wasn't flamboyant at all.

"You are _so_ fly, Daddy. Rose is right. Mama you should keep your eye on this little hottie." She winked. Everyone laughed. Dad looked uncomfortable with all of the praise and I knew firsthand that he was thoroughly embarrassed.

"Thank you, princess." Poor guy. He was speechless. The girls put him on the spot-the hot spot, and he was flabbergasted. He tried to fake a boosted ego, but he was incredibly shy being in the spotlight.

"You hear that, Esme? You better keep your eye on me." She smiled and shook her head. "Someone might snatch me up because apparently I'm a "_hottie_." He made quotation marks with his fingers and laughed and so did I when he used his British accent. "_Hawt_!" He added, sending their friends in a laughing frenzy.

"Girls, you should have never told him that." They both laughed and he wiggled his eyebrows at her. "Just go get the luggage, hottie." He allowed Emmett to go ahead of him, and they walked outside laughing.

"So Mom, tell us _every_ single detail of your trip." The girls went to sit by Mom and Carmen so they could get the juice on their vacation. Eleazar started talking to us about the game.

"So Mom-did you and Dad get all snuggly?" Rose asked. Edward looked like he wanted to vomit when he read Mom's mind.

"Okay, I'm going to hurl." He said.

Mom laughed. "I told you stop with all of the snooping, Edward. That's what you get."

"Gross." He shook his head as if trying to purge a nightmare. "Unbelievable."

"Well I guess that answers my question." Rose said.

"Eww…" Alice shivered. I wrinkled my nose at the thought of my parents getting it on. That was terrifying.

Mom just shook her head and balled up her lips with a very satisfied smile dancing in her topaz eyes.

"Mom!" Edward put his hands to his head. "Will you please stop that?"

She grinned like a Cheshire cat. "Nope, because I told you to get out of my head." I could only imagine that whatever he saw _was_ pretty gross.

"I'm trying!"

"Wow, Mom was Dad that good?" Rose asked. She was just being devilish to torment Edward.

"Rose!"

Mom didn't say anything but winked at her two best friends. They decided to join in her fun. "I'm sure you will need to fill me in on some secrets Esme."

"That's it!" Edward stood up and went to his room. "I'm listening to my IPOD so you can stop with all of this."

We all burst into laughter. Dad and a more cheerful Emmett came back inside with their bags.

"What's so funny?" Emmett asked.

"Yeah, why all the laughter?" Dad asked.

Mama stifled a laugh. "Rosie was just asking how our trip went and if we spent some…um…quality time together. I was just telling her how nice it was and Edward decided to be nosy. We probably _accidently_ let something from our special moments slip. He ran upstairs."

Dad nodded. "Ah. I see." He grinned devilishly.

"KNOCK IT OFF DAD!" Edward yelled from his room. "THAT IS SO FREAKING DISGUSTING!"

We laughed again.

"THEN STOP BEING NOSY!" We all yelled back. We were tired of him playing around in our heads. "STAY OUT OF OUR HEADS!"

We burst into laughter again. "Welcome home friends." Eleazar said.

"Thank you. It's great to be back."

Please review

A/N: I have the next chapter of BTR almost completed…don't worry. I am also thinking of doing a "M" rated story from Carlisle and Esme's vacation and they get it on, as Jasper puts it…maybe in a car…the kitchen…the pool…one of the kids room…lol…let me see where my mind takes me. Before I finish BTR I am going to do a little outtake about Carlisle bonding with Edward and Jasper based on this chapter.


	3. Chapter 3 Clarification

Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyers owns Twilight Characters. The errors are mine.

A/N: Okay so I couldn't help but write more to this little story. At the request of one very loyal reader, I am showing her what went on inside that room with Esme and Emmett. I also felt that we need to see what Carlisle had to say to Jasper about the incident…maybe in one more chapter after this…lol we'll see. This one is fun to write.

Thanks for all of your wonderful and thoughtful reviews. I am glad you are enjoying the story.

Carlisle's POV

Esme and I had a magnificent vacation in Greece, and though we were gone for two months, we were sad to see it come to an end. It was not often that she and I got to spend _that_ much private time together. I was usually extremely busy at the hospital and she pretty much _always_ had her hands full with our children. That was why this trip was so special. We needed the time, but honestly we missed our children. I know I did. Esme noticed how much I missed them and had teased me to no end when I called them every single night to check on them. I couldn't help it. Those five people meant the world to me.

Judging by their reaction to our homecoming, we knew they missed us as well. That was very endearing and I didn't know if they noticed or not, but I had to choke back tears when we were in the yard. It meant so much to have that kind of love. I truly felt that I didn't deserve it. There were many days when I waited for someone to come and tell me that the joke was on me—that I really didn't have children or even a wife.

Esme had often tried to label my boys as her 'babies' or 'Mama's boys,' but I hated to tell her; they were mine as well. I would be the first to admit that I was hard on them, but I had also spoiled them rotten. It wasn't anything that any of my children could reasonably ask me for that I wouldn't try to give them. That didn't mean I always gave it to them when they asked for it, but eventually they received their request. It was rare that I denied them reasonable requests, and never did I deny a need. As long as they behaved, performed well at home and school, and stayed out of imprudence, I would withhold no good thing from them.

The way I saw it was that they were immortal. They would never have their own children, grow old, or even be able to stop graduating high school. They were bound to spend eternity trapped as emotionally unstable teenagers. Why couldn't I buy them a game console or a pair of shoes when they asked for it—well in Alice's case a hundred pairs of shoes?

In fairness, I couldn't take all of the credit for our beautiful family. Esme was indeed the matriarch of the Cullen palace. She wore that title with the poise and dignity of a queen. I couldn't help but to laugh at the memory of our boys effortlessly tossing her around in the yard today. She was indeed surprised by their greeting, but loved every bit of it.

My heart was full when I thought about how much they loved her. I could only go on what Emmett and Jasper had shared with me about their birth mothers, but I knew firsthand that my prince Edward had been very attached to his. It broke my heart after she died to hear him crying for her at night. There were many, many nights he slept in my bed in the safety and love of my fatherly arms. I was afraid that he would never recover from her death, but when Esme came along, she offered a ray of hope. She was a godsend to all three of them—to all of my children. I was always in awe at how excellent she was with them. I couldn't think of another woman that I would rather have as the mother of my children. She was absolute perfection.

It went without saying that Rosalie and Alice were my angels. They were my little girls. I knew it and so did they, and no one could take them from me unless they left with their mates. Even then, I would like to think that their absence would only be temporary. You talk about being Daddy's girls. Those two had me wrapped very tightly in their hands. They were so beautiful, and I was more than proud of them. I had their pictures in my office, and I had to constantly give my male cohorts the Carlisle Cullen version of the "I will beat your ass" look for ogling them too much. They got the message and would back off. When it came to my three boys, I would just laugh when the girls swooned over their pictures. Those were my boys…ladies men.

One of my resident psychologists at the hospital conducted a very interesting study with children and their parents. She asked the females to answer a questionnaire in which the goal was to find out what kind of relationships they had with their fathers and how did these relationships differ from their relationships with their mothers. What she found out was that, although the majority felt they had a loving relationship with their father, the vast majority felt that the mother-daughter relationship was more emotionally intimate, and more comfortable.

She pointed out that the reason for this difference was that daughters didn't spend as much time alone with their fathers as they did with their mothers, and probably because of this, they had a tendency to avoid talking about personal things with their fathers.

According to her, parents should practice shared parenting, which meant fathers and mothers should have equal opportunities to create and build a relationship with their children. This meant that both parents should spend time alone with their kids. This held true for married and divorced couples.

Now this model might be true for most people in her survey, but I had to bow out of those results. I shared a _very_ loving and supportive relationship with my daughters. They would tell anyone that they were quite emotionally and psychologically attached to me and were more than a little comfortable talking to me about anything—and I do mean _anything_. It probably had a lot to do with my profession and that the shock factor was pretty much gone, but I would like to think it was because I was always cultivating the relationship. I encouraged them to talk to me and to be not just a part of my life, but _in_ it. They had no reservations. They loved being all up in my "Kool-Aid" as Emmett called it, and they certainly spent a lot of time with me.

The advantage of being a vampire-father was that you didn't sleep. I worked. They went to school. When I came home, we hung out or we went hunting. While other fathers were limited by the human need for sleep, I took full advantage of the fact that I had no such limitations. When I wasn't working, I spent all of my time with my wife and my children.

I would agree that Esme and I should practice shared parenting. I knew that there were times that I worked double shifts or had to attend an extended conference or what not, but I tried to do my part. I knew the kids could be a handful even for vampire-mothers, and I found it not robbery to offer Esme some relief so she could have some time for herself.

She was more than a full-time mother. She produced architectural designs, she kept our house immaculate, broke up fights, helped the kids with their studies, took care of their boo-boos and grouchies, cooked human food we didn't eat for their friends, curled their hair, _and_ played video games. This didn't even include all the things she did for and to me as my wife, and I had no complaints about _anything_ she did to me. I was always left very satisfied. She was a real superwoman.

This was why I was unnerved by Emmett's treatment of her earlier. He'd better thank God that Esme decided to call him out, because I was coming for him. It made me madder than a wet hen when my children disrespected her like that. I didn't even do _that_, and I damn sure wasn't going to approve of them doing it. She was too good to Emmett, even though she really didn't even have to be. He had no right to do that.

I'd told Esme over and over that she was _way_ too easy on the kids. She let them get away with such appalling disrespect that they felt they had a free pass to be rude to her whenever they got ready to. They knew not to step to me like that, and I felt that she shouldn't tolerate it either. She accused me of being too impatient with them and at times a bully, but my children knew not to even go there with me. I didn't mind them expressing their thoughts and feelings, but they knew they'd better do so with respect. I gave them respect, and I expected them to give me the same respect in return. I really tried not to whip them, and the Lord knew I let a lot of things slide, but when I had to do it, I didn't hesitate. I didn't hit them every time they messed up. That's what my father did me. I didn't hurt them like that, but they knew I didn't make empty threats. If that belt came out, it was going to be bad news for somebody.

The tongue lashing that she gave to Emmett earlier was no surprise. After she and I retired to our guest room to unpack, she told me that she'd given him a few rough swats. Seeing the visible shock on my face, she recounted what happened when she'd asked our son to follow her into that room. I thought back on that now, and gave her kudos for standing strong.

"_So what happened baby when you took Emmett in that room? I could hear you giving him a good tongue-lashing, but were those a few licks I heard?" I'd asked her while unpacking my bags. I kept my eyes on her to see her reaction to my question._

"_Yes, Carlisle, you heard correctly." She admitted. I smiled at her. "Oh just be quiet, Carlisle!" She shook her head and put her clothes in a drawer._

"_What, baby? I'm not saying a word." I smiled again and walked into the bathroom to unpack my toiletries. I came out of the bathroom and walked over to her. "So tell me what happened."_

It was at that moment that she gave me a very clear flashback and an even clearer understanding as to why my big bear was pouting when he came back into the family room.

"_Come here." She ordered._

"_Mom, I didn't mean to say that. I'm sorry." He tried to apologize but it was useless. He was done._

"_Now, Emmett. I am not playing with you." Her voice did not waver._

_He got up and did as he was told._

"_Close that door." He obeyed and stood with his back against it. "You have about a second to get over here." _

"_Mom, I'm really sorry. That slipped. I didn't mean to say that." Esme pointed to the bed and he walked slowly towards her. "Mom, I'm sorry."_

"_I don't want to hear it Emmett. You must have lost your mind! You don't talk to me that way!"_

"_Mom! I said I was-"_

"_Be quiet, Emmett! I just don't understand how you can take a perfectly happy moment and turn it into this!" He started to speak, but she raised her finger. "Boy, if I have to tell you one more time to close your mouth, you will be sorry." _

_He instantly pressed his lips tightly together as he stood listening to his mother give him a piece of her mind. _

"_How many times do I have to tell you about your mouth Emmett? How many times do we have to have these, silly, frivolous conversations? You will NOT talk to me like I'm a child Emmett! I might not have given birth to you, but I am your mother in every way that matters to you and you will not, as long as you exist, ever talk to me the way you just did! Is that clear, Emmett Cullen?"_

_He stood and looked at her with a mean look on his face. In seconds flat she was standing in front of him. "Oh, so, apparently not only can you not think clearly today, you can't hear either!"_

_He frowned and shook his head. "You act like I did that on purpose!" He raised his voice. _

_She gasped. "Emmett, I KNOW you are standing there raising your voice at me!"_

"_No, Mama."_

"_Well something might be wrong with your hearing, but the last time I checked, there wasn't anything wrong with mine. Yell at me again! Please."_

_He swallowed the lump in his throat and backed away from her._

"_You better get this little funky attitude of yours in check before you wind up on the backside of your luck!" She paused a moment and took a deep breath. "What's gotten into you Emmett? Or what have you got into? You must be into something that is causing you to lose your mind! You better remember who you are talking to."_

"_God knows you want let me forget." The boy had a death wish._

_That did it. _

"_That's it." She pointed towards the bed. "Bend over Emmett." He was undeniably shocked. His mother was about to…punish him?_

"_Mom, I-"_

_She spun him around and landed about ten swift, hard fiery swats to his backside. He tried to contain himself to keep from crying out. He didn't want anyone else in the house to know that his mother was spanking him. That would be good and embarrassing, especially with Eleazar in there._

"_Ow, Mom. I'm sorry." His eyes welled with tears that he was too "manly" to shed._

_She got in his face and pointed her finger at him. She was shorter and much smaller than he was, but that didn't matter. She was his mother and that beat physical strength any day._

_Finally the tears fell over, but he just balled up his lips and remained quiet. He was fuming._

"_I'm going to say this one last time. Don't get it twisted Emmett. I am not the one. If you will not respect me, you will be punished. Don't think for an immortal second that you can just run all over me and do or say what you please. If that's what you think, you have got another thought coming. All I ask for is respect. Not just for me but for every member of our family, our home, and the home of our friends."_

_Emmett swiped at his eyes, but kept that bulldog look on his face. He could have spit fire._

"_Now let me help you understand what that means to you, Emmett Cullen. That means when I ask you to remove your feet from someone's table, you are to do it."_

_Emmett extended his arms. "Mom, they let me do that."_

"_I don't care what they let you do! I asked you to take your feet down, and that's what I meant Emmett! That should have been the end of it, but instead you chose to add all of the eye-rolling and commentary like you had lost your mind all of a sudden. Then you curse at me? Boy, you better thank God that I am the woman I am, because otherwise I would give you the whipping of a lifetime and you wouldn't be able to sit for while. Don't think that because I don't spank you or the other children, that I can't. I choose not to, but if you even try to step to me the way you just did out there, I will quickly snap you back to sanity before you can blink. You might be grown but you live in my house, and if you live in my house you will abide my rules. Do you understand?"_

_This time he didn't hesitate. "Yes, Ma'am."_

"_Now straighten up your face and dry up those tears before I give you something to cry for. I'm tired of you behaving like a child Emmett. It has to stop, and it will stop. Now is there anything else you need clarification on, Emmett?" _

_He shook his head. _

"_Maybe you need to be refreshed before we leave out of here, because if we have to come back in here, it will not end well for you! Because in retrospect, going off on me was a bad idea!_

_She turned and walked towards the door, mumbling under her breath. "You've lost your blasted mind. Just who do you think you are? Try me again…please…just try me again." She stopped mumbling and opened the door. "Let's go."_

_Without even a pretend movement of his lips, he walked to the door with his head hanging down. He stopped short of her and waited for her to walk out first. She did and he followed her out of the room._

"_Sit down." _

I had been sitting in the family room when he came back in following his mother and judging by the look I had seen on his face he was not a happy camper. She read him his rights backwards and forwards and there was no mistaking that he clearly got her point. There was no more clarification needed. She'd laid down the law, and he had better fall in line. Denali wasn't big enough for two sheriffs from Forks, so he'd smartly chosen to sit it down and zip it.

Now as I relaxed in Eleazar's backyard in his oversized hammock, I thought about how sad Emmett looked. I certainly wasn't going to undermine Esme's authority, but after a while I decided to give the big bear a break and take him outside for a little fresh air. Esme didn't mind. I couldn't count the times she'd come to the children's rescue after I had to discipline them harshly.

Once outside, I gave Emmett an opportunity to express how he felt about what had happened. He started talking and a few stray tears escaped his control. I'd reached up and stroked them away with my thumbs, and tilted his chin up so he could feel good about talking to me. He'd informed me that he really didn't mean to curse his mother, and that he was sorry for what he'd said. I believed him.

I'd intentionally refrained from scolding him in any manner and pretty much just gave him the wheel. Once he got it off of his chest, we talked about it for a while longer and then totally changed the subject. I got his mind off of it by telling him about some college girl we'd met on the trip. She was a waitress and she'd come around to the lounge area where Esme and I were sitting. The room was posh and dimly lit, but she was flirting me. She must have thought I was "hawt" as my baby had labeled me, because she was drooling. I'd tried to pretend not to notice, but she did not even _try_ to hide it. I couldn't help but stifle a few laughs, but when I looked and saw Esme looking like she wanted to bite her, I'd lost it and could no longer contain myself and let loose. I really had to squeeze Esme's thigh and rub her back to keep her from snapping at her.

Emmett got a kick out of that and instantly his mood became lighter. Of course, he wanted all the details about the girl so I told him what I could recollect. He was surprised I remembered because usually I didn't pay attention to women like that. They were always salivating. Not to be cocky, but that was a way of life for me everywhere I went. Usually most women did try to be inconspicuous, and certainly didn't almost end up in my lap like that girl had. Truthfully, the only reason I remembered her was because she was practically sitting on me.

My son _really_ liked it when I told him that Esme had actually gotten upset that I found it amusing and didn't check the girl on her behavior. I mean really! I wasn't even _trying _to study that woman. She couldn't even compare to my dynamite wife. Seriously. Esme in comparison was like cheetah or tiger blood and that little girl was like the blood of a house fly. Esme was more delicious and appealing and definitely more than enough woman for me.

I didn't understand why Esme was so upset. She had no justification, but I decided that if I wanted to be a very happy man in the morning, I was going to have to make up for that little episode. I apologized and when the girl came back I very politely introduced her to my wife, and she took the hint. Later she saw us dancing together on the dance floor and left me alone. I was still secretly laughing because it was funny as hell. When we went back to our suite, I'd made sure to show Esme just how much that girl didn't mean to me, and how powerful my dynamite was. She forgot all about that girl and her sinful goodies.

"What's sa funny, Dad?" I opened my eyes to see Jasper standing next to me. I knew he near the moment he stepped out of the house. "That musta been some kinda fantasy."

I chuckled and he smiled at me. "Hey there. I was just laughing at your Mom. She's something else."

He nodded. "Yeh. She is. I'm glad that she's made up with Em. I just 'bout couldn't take any more of her "rage." Jesus!"

I laughed softly. "She's a pistol. You boys better watch yourselves."

"Yip."

He put his hands on hips and rocked back and forth for a minute. Then he let his arms dangle at his sides and started swinging them so that his fists hit each other. I knew what he wanted and purposely waited with a snarky grin on my face.

He laughed shyly when he saw me grinning and shook his head. He knew I was playing with him.

"Oh, come on you big baby." He exhaled with relief and smiled as I slid over. He climbed into the hammock beside me. "God I've somehow managed to turn grown men into mush."

He laughed softly as he settled himself comfortably beside me on Eleazar's big hammock. He folded his arms crisscross underneath his head and then crossed his legs.

"I was kinda thinkin' earlier when I was out here that there would be plenty of room for two people in this thing. This is nice. We should get one for the house." He said and decided to cross one leg over his knee.

"I'll see what I can do." I promised. "Where is everyone?" I asked, enjoying the business of the night. Crickets were chirping, owls wooing, and the stars twinkling. This was lovely. What made it even lovelier was being out here with my son.

"Well. Eleazar, Carmen and Mom are still huntin.' Emmett and Rose went out on date or somethin.'

"Oh?" I asked curiously. "Did they let your mother know where they were going?" I sure hope they had, because they surely hadn't filled me in on their little rendezvous.

"Yes, Sir. She just said okay." He started swinging us from side to side in the hammock.

"Oh…alright then." My children knew we didn't care where they went unless it was somewhere they didn't need to be, but they had to let us know where they were going just in case they had an emergency. That was the only rule on the going out, but we have had to say no in the past depending on the situation. This was the case earlier this week when I'd told Jasper he couldn't go out to that club without hunting first. It wasn't that I didn't want him to go, I just wanted him to be safe. Speaking of that incident….

"Alice is tryin' on all those clothes she bought, and Edward is in the house talkin' to Bella. She might as well have come with us. It's like she's practically here anyway. I swear they're gettin' on my sensors with all that lovey-dovey stuff. Makes my belly churn."

I laughed. "Sadly, I agree son, but he's in love and that's a good thing. He deserves someone special too."

"I know. He does and I'm happy for him." He turned on his side and rested his head on my shoulder.

"You know what I'm wondering, Jazz?" I asked.

"What's that?"

"For the life of me I can't remember when you became _such _a Daddy's boy." I teased. "I remember a time when you would look at me and practically run for cover. Now I can't shake you."

He didn't miss a beat. "Yip and proud of it!" We laughed.

"Oh, Jazz. I love you too. I hope your "sensors," as you call them, are confirming this. I've always told you that I got to choose Edward, Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett, but you and my princess Alice chose me, and you still choose to be a part of my family…a big part of my life and my heart. That is not something I take lightly. I cherish your love and I just want you to know that you will always have a place by my side, in my heart, and yes in my hammock for as long as you want it." We laughed again and he moved closer to me, molding his slender body to my side.

There was a short pause before he finally spoke.

"Thank you Dad." He now laid his head on my chest. "Thank you sa much."

"You're very welcome." I cleared my throat. "So how was your trip to this club you were _dying_ to go to."

"It was fire!" His excitement made me laugh. "I'm glad we got a chance to check it out."

"Did Edward have a problem getting in? What was the age limit?" Edward always had problems with identification. _As if Jasper would rat out his brother if he actually did sneak in._

"No, Sir. He had his '21' id. You have ta be twenty-one. We all had ours. Nobody said anything to him. He was good."

"Hmmm…so what made it so unique?" I inquired.

"The fact that it was away from this house."

I pinched him.

"Ow! Dad."

"Be nice." He laughed softly.

My children were sharp. They knew how to hide details when they wanted to. He was quick to dodge answering my questions just in case they ever wanted to come back when the visited. He knew I wouldn't allow them to go if the club's activities were suspect. What he didn't know was that I'd done an internet search on the club the minute I heard them talking about going. I'd even had Eleazar to check it out personally for me and report back. Believe me, if it were suspicious, Jasper wouldn't have been the only Cullen child crying to go.

"They had exotic animals there." He offered.

"That must have been exciting." I replied.

"Yeh. It was."

"How were the exotic dancers. Fully clothed?" I smiled when I felt him freeze in response to the stress of having to figure out what to say next and the realization that I knew what was there.

I made it easy for him. "I always know, Jasper. It is my job to be two steps ahead of you guys…well in Em's case…ten steps."

"That sounds like some of Eleazar's Spanish "wisdom." He said sarcastically. "I've gotten more of that than I can carry back to Forks."

I was so glad that he finally opened that door. I wanted to address the incident that happened with Eleazar with him. I'd promised him I wouldn't whip him for it, but we needed to get some clarification on a few things.

"Well, now that you mention Eleazar and since we are on the subject of this club, let's talk."

He froze again.

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